Washboard



UNITED STATES GEORGE BERNARD WHEELER, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

WASHBOARD.

Application led September 11, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BERNARD WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Washboard, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to washboards, and has for an object the provision of an improved arrangement whereby apparel and the like may be washed and thoroughly cleansed with little labor, and without injury to thea' material.

Another object in view is to provide a washboard with a grooved roller rubbing face.

A further object in view is to provide a washboard with removable extension legs, whereby the length of the board may be varied to suit any washtub.

A still further object in view is to provide a washboard with an arm, or resting rail mounted above the frame, that will yield, with weight or pressure upon it.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a washboa-rd embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 isa side elevation, wherein the sliding plate is shown to full view;

Fig. 3 a rear elevation;

Fig. 4 a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of one of the' grooved rollers on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6-6 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section of a slight modification of the invention to that shown `lin Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the bearing strip fixed in the groove of one of the side pieces.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 and 2 indicate the sides of a frame which may be of hard wood having a smooth grain, the upper ends of which are dove-tailed and engage grooves at the ends of cross-piece 3. Side pieces 1 and 2 are also braced with a cross-piece 4 which is dowelefl at both ends and engages apertures through 1 and 2. ross-piece' 4 is provided with cross-cut grooves 5, and of which there may specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. 25, 1921.

Serial No. 409,704.

be any 'desirable number, to prevent soap from slipping from one side to the other and also to allow water to drain off the cross-piece which also forms part of the soap-pocket-G, which is intended to be deep. The back 7 more particularly shown in Fig. 3, may also be provided with grooves 8, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to provide a further means of preventing soap from slipping into the washtub and to allow water to drain off. BackV 7 also acts in another capacity hereinafter fully described. 9 is the lower cross-*piece of the frame, and engages sidepieces 1 and 2 in a like manner to crosspiece 4. Cross-pieces 3, 4 and 9 forming part of the frame are rigidly secured to the sidepiecesv 1 and 2 by screws 10, or by other means. 11 are the rollers, and of which there may be any desirable number, but ten are preferred, and may be of hard wood having a smooth grain, and are provided with any desirable number of V or U shaped grooves 25 ruiming parallel from end to end, more particularly shown in Fig. 5. A bearing pin 12 shown in Fig. 4, is rigidly fastened at one end of each roller by being driven into the wood up to the shoulder 13 of the bearing pin. The opposite end of the roller is provided with a bearing pin 14, shown in Fig. 4, and more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6, which extends through a metallic sleeve l5 having an aperture 16. The bearing pin is provided with a flat head 17 which bears against spiral spring 18, which is loosely positioned in a socket in the end of the roller, in which the metallic sleeve is rigidly held. The shoulder 19 of the sleeve rests upon the surface of the roller, while the fiat head 17 of bearingk pin 14, is held against the inner rim of the sleeve and the pin cannot slip out of the sleeve, but is always extended. shaft engages an aperture 2O in bearing strip 2l, shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The bearing strip may be of zinc, brass or other rustpioof metal, and may be provided with any desirable number of apertures 20, and of a desirable length, width and thickness to engage groove 22 in side piece 1 of the frame, and be rigidly secured thereto by screws or other means, the bearing strip being provided with apertures 23 and 24 through Pin 14 which acts as a.

which the screws may pass and be screwed into the wood. Side piece 2 is also provided with a bearing strip 21 in a like manner to side piece 1, so that bearing pin 12 may engage a corresponding aperture 2O and the roller be held in the frame, and the roller may revolve with freedom. y26 indicates apertures in sidepiece 1, and if desired side piece 2 may be provided with apertures 26, the apertures in side piece l providing a means whereby one or more rollers 11 may be removed without diiliculty should they become broken or out of order, to replace them with new rollers, by simply inserting a wire nail or any other desirable instrument in the aperture and forcing the bearing pin back into the roller and lifting` the roller from the frame, and substituting new rollers. Side pieces l and 2 are also provided with apertures 27, shown in Figs. l, 2, 7 and 8 so as to engage pins 28 and 29 of extension legs 30. The pins may be in the forni of screw-.bolts and arranged as I may elect, or rigidly fixed to the legs, which kmay be or' wood or other material. VAn aperture 3l is also provided in the legs, and throughwhich screw-bolts each having an engaging metallic washer passes, thence through one of the apertures 27 through the lower ends of side pieces 1 and 2, and the extension legs may be rigidly secured to the lower ends of Y the side pieces by the screw-bolts each having an engaging washer and a thumb-nut. rIlhus, the length of the board may be varied to suit any washtub, or the extension legsv may be removed and discarded if desired, and without ,injury to the structure. In Figs. l, 2 and 3 are shown the resting arm or rail, which is intended to provide a means whereby a woman in washing upon the board may rest, and shock may be absorbed.

. The rail 32 which may be of wood or other material, yields when weight or pressure is placed upon it, being provided with spiral springs 33 and of which there may be one or more. The spiral springs 33 are loosely held in position by setting into sockets in cross-piece 3, and in a like manner in rail 32. A movable or sliding plate 34, which may be of any desirable and pliable metal, and formed with a longitudinal slot 35 therethrough, as shown in Fig. 2, and two or more apertures 36 at the top or upper end of the plate, is rigidly fastened toone end ot rail 32 by screws passing through apertures 36 and screwed into the wood, and two or more screws having round heads and engaging washers, passing through slot 35 and screwed into side-piece 1, the opposite end of the rail being provided with a sliding plate in a like manner. In Fig. 3, is shown the backboard 7 which may consist of any desirable number of slats, boards or strips, and which may be of wood or other material and arranged across the frame from sidepiece l to side-piece 2 and secured thereto by screws or nails 37, and providing a means whereby apparel and the like in a washtub will not interfere with the action or' the rollers,and also to allow the soiled water to drain oif into the bottom of the tub, and to strengthen the structure. Y

In Fig. 7 will be seen a modiied form of the invention in which the bearing strip 50 is stamped and formed of sheet spring metal, brass preferred, and having apertures 20,

23 and 24, apertures 20 acting as bearings scribed, a frame consisting of two side-bars each having apertures therethrough at the lower end, a lower cross-bar and two upper cross-bars rigidly xedto said side-bars, a rubbing surface arranged in said frame, removable eXtension legs each provided with apertures therethrough, screw-bolts Vselectively passing through Y said apertures through said Vremovable extension legs and said side-bars, said screw-'bolts having engaging washers and thumb-nuts and rigidly securing the removable extension legs to the ends of the frame.

2. In a washboard of the character described, a frame provided with grooves, and having apertures therethrough, metallic strips provided with apertures acting as bearings iXed in said grooves, grooved rollers, each having a metallic pin rigidy xed to one end, said rollers provided atithe opposite end with a movable bearing pin .having a flat head at one fend, said pin loosely positioned by `means of a sleeve through which said Vpin Vmay extend so as to engage a corresponding aperture in ,the bearing strip to allow a revolving movement of the roller, the flat head of said bearing pin engaging and acting upon a spiral springV loosely 3. In a washboardv of the characterV de- Y scribed, a Aframe consisting of two side-bars, a lower cross-bar and two upper cross-bars rigidly fixed to said side-bars, said upper cross-bars being spaced from each other, aY

the slots in said sliding plates and screwedV into the side-bars,rthe upperend of each sliding plate being rigidly fastened to the corresponding end of said resting rail, the rail resting upon spiral springs positioned between the rail and the top cross-bar of name t0 this speoication in the presence of Said frame, said spiral Springs loosely held two subscribing Witnesses.

in sockets provided in the. rail and the top cross-)oar7 the rail acting upon the spiral GEORGE BERNARD VHEELER' 5 springs, and a rubbing face arranged in the Witnesses:

frame. Erm L. HOTALING,

In testimony whereof I have signed my WIILIAM B. HOTALING. 

